Continuous reversing drive



F. v. WIDGER CONTINUOUS REVERSING DRIVE Filed Jan. so'.

Patentedct. A213, 119523. Y Y l i lFRANK lv. wInsIns',v or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

V rinse FICA oonrINuousfnnvnn-SING DRIVE.

Applidation ined January 3o, 1922. serial No.:532,5 59

for use in connectionv with washing ma-l chines although it may havea more general use wherever applicable. The principle object ot the invention is to provide acontin- I uousrdriver which engages periodically with either one of a pair ot' connected gears for operating adriven member for a predetermined time in yone direction and then rcyversing 'the motion Jfor approximately the same time. One of the principal features of 4the invention is toaccomplish this reversal without employing any reversing levers, arms, springs or other devices. The invenxtion consists in the novel construction, com- Vbination and arrangement of the several parts. y In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating the invention as applied to awashing' machine; and' F ig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 of F ig. 1. In operating a washing vmachine and many other mechanisms it is desirable to move or rotate one of the parts for a period in one direction and then automatically to reverse and operate it in the oth-er direction.` Most of the mechanisms which are employed to accomplish this result comprise a number of levers, gears, springs and other me-V chanical devices for etfectingthe reversal, and sooner ,or later one ofthe chain of such devices impairs or prevents the properfunctioning of the parts. l The present invention comprises a simplev continuous driver 1 which isrmounted for the rotation at the outside of a' washing machine or other housing 2 to which it is applied, and this driver is provided either with a pulley or a continuous gear 3 which is driven from a power shaft l by means ot a gear 5.and gears 6. andV connected to a cross 'shaft 8. l l

At the periphery otrthis driving member 1 are two gear segments 9 and 1Q which .may be of the same or 'diiI'er'ent diameters but are located out of line with respect to each other'. One` of the segments 9 is adapted'toengage` with a driving gear 11 which may bedirectly connected to ad rotatable member 12v of the washing machine .or any other device` to which the mechanism is applied; The other segment 10fis adapted to engage with a gear 13 which also meshes with thel gear 11.

These gear segments 9 'and v10 are so disposed on thejdriving' member that as" soon as one 'ofthe gears 11 or l13 becomes disengaged from its driving gear segments@ or 10,1thexsegment'for the other gear is in position toengage it so that the movement of the gears 11 and 1 3 vis reversed. This neces-V sitates that at oneside of' the driving inem-A ber 1, thepgear segments 9l and 10 shall be spaced apart a distanceV slightly greater than the distance between thel axes of the gears 11 and 13 rwhile the opposite ends 0I' the segments will overlap an amount somelwhat less than the distance between the aXes oI` the gears 10 and 13. The reason for this is that the driver 1 moves continuously in the same direction and if it is desired tov quickly reverse the motion of the ymember 12 and the Vgear 11,' the gearv segment 100i 'the ,geary 13 must be advanced'slightly to engage the gear soon after otl" from itsr segment l0. If a longer period is desired between the reversing movements it is necessary only to increase the 'distance apart of the adjacent ends of the gear segments 9 and 10. v With this construction itis apparentrthatr the reversing action can* be eifected completely and automatically with only the three driving members, the driver l and the two gears 11 and 13. 'There is nothing to get out of order and nothingto get broken. The operation is simple' and very etlicient. The driven member l12 maybe oper,- atedat the same speed Ain'both directions, orf. at different speeds for .different durations .by varying the proportions of the gears `11 and 13 and the gear segments^9 and 10.

I claim: f

etl

I.' The Combinaties with a .rotatable I member, of a pair of segmentalzgears at the periphery thereof, a pair of meshing gears each engaging one of the segmental gears, and a member connected to one of.

the meshing gears fork alternately reversing c movement therewith. Y

2. In reversemechamsm, a continuously CIK driven member, a pair of gear segments at the outside of the periphery thereof out of line With yeach other, a pair of interrnesh ing gears each of which meshes With one of the segmental gears at :i predetermined time, and a rotatable member connected to one of the gears Which is reversely driven thereby.

3. In a reversing mechanism, the combination with a rotatable member constantlyY driven'in the same direction, of segmental gears mounted at the outer side of the periphery thereoic and out of line With each other with a space between adjacent ends ofthe segments, and a pair oi" directly connected gears one adapted to engage With each gear segment so that the gears are driven reversely in accordance as each one engages its corresponding` gear segment. f

4. In a reversing mechanism, a rotatable member continuously driven in the same direction, a pair of gear segments at the periphery thereof and of alinement With each other and overlapping at one of their adjacent ends, a pair of meshing gears each adapted to engage one of the segments and rotating reversely 'and depending upon which one or the gears meshes with its segment.

5. The combination with a rotatable member continuously Vdriven in one direction, of a pair ot gear segments out oi aliiiement With each other, one of the adjacent ends ofV the segments being spaced apart and the opposite ends of the segments overlapping, and a pair of meshing gears each of which is adapted to be engaged separately by one of the gear segments rotating the other one accordingly.

6. The combination With a continuously operated driving member and a reversibley driven member, of a pair oi:V segmental gears carried by the driving member., and a pair of rotatable meshing gears for con* necting the driving and driven members,

the segmental gears being out oi' alinement and each engageable by one of the other gears, and the segmental gears being spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the axes oic the other gears at one end, and overlapping a distance less than that between the said axes at the other ends of the segmental gears.

FRANK V. WlDGER. 

